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Thursday, October 14, 2010

Midnight On The Cliffs

Blue Mirage

Midnight On The Cliffs
Les Baxter And Orchestra
High Fidelity Recording T843
1957

From the back cover: Les Baxter's delicate and knowing touch is reflected throughout all twelve of these great songs, each one unashamedly – brazenly – romantic in mood.

Most of the selections offered here emanate from highly popular motion picture soundtracks. Midnight On The Cliffs was repeatedly heard as Doris day frantically attempted to avoid being murdered by Louis Jourdan in the unforgettable and highly dramatic Julie. The composer, Leonard Pennario, is the piano soloist with the Baxter orchestra (as he was on the film soundtrack) and he again is featured at the Steinway in the closing Dream Rhapsody track, a lovely reading of a melody based on a Franck symphonic theme.

The selections heard in between the superb Baxter-Pennario collection are equally melodic and ideal for the listening hours. Wake The Town, Blue Mirage, Unchained Melody and The Medic Theme are recalled as recent Baxter hits. Vocal choruses are by Sue Allen, Bill Kennedy, the Notables and the vibrant Baxter chorus. Les scores again!

Midnight On The Cliffs
Wake The Town And Tell The People
End Of Spring
Take My Love
The Shrike
Blue Mirage
Unchained Melody
The Medic Theme
Suddenly
If You Were Mine
When You're In Love
Dream Rhapsody

3 comments:

  1. FABULOUS Cover! Lex Baxter has done some great stuff. I love him.

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  2. Not the best Les Baxter for my taste. For me the best is the cover which looks total Hitchcock. Thanks for the post

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  3. "Some of the vocal tracks seem out of place on this LP."

    "Take My Love" and "Wake the Town.. " were both a-sides of a singles in 1955.

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